How LLY Stock Delivered $47 Billion To Shareholders

Core Insights - Eli Lilly has returned $47 billion to shareholders through dividends and buybacks over the last decade, achieving a 9% year-to-date return in 2025 despite market volatility [2] - The company approved a $15 billion share repurchase program in December 2024, marking one of the largest capital return initiatives in the pharmaceutical industry [3] - Eli Lilly announced a 15% increase in its quarterly dividend, raising it from $1.30 to $1.50 per share, resulting in an annual dividend of $6.00 and a yield of approximately 0.74% [4] Financial Performance - Eli Lilly's revenues reached $45.04 billion in 2024, a 32% year-over-year increase, with earnings of $10.59 billion, up 102%, driven by the success of GLP-1 medications Mounjaro and Zepbound [5] - Sales from these two drugs alone totaled $11.5 billion last year, with a significant surge of 115% year-over-year to $14.5 billion in the first half of 2025 [5] - The company maintains substantial R&D investments while generating robust cash flow to support aggressive share buybacks and consistent dividend growth [5] Market Position - Eli Lilly ranks 58th in history for total shareholder returns, reflecting management's confidence in future cash generation [6] - The company’s capital returns are compared to other major firms, indicating a trade-off between attractive capital returns and growth potential [8] - Eli Lilly's fundamentals show a revenue growth of 36.8% LTM and a 23.4% three-year average, with a P/E ratio of 52.9, indicating higher valuation and faster growth compared to the S&P median [12]